Magic: The Gathering Commander bans cause price apocalypse for most sought after cards

Magic the Gathering’s most popular format Commander was hit by some shocking bans by the rules committee yesterday – and it’s having a real-world effect on collections as some of the most sought-after cards have lost enormous value overnight. 

In a post made by the Commander rules committee yesterday, it was announced that Mana Crypt, Dockside Extortionist, and Jewelled Lotus (alongside Nadu, Winged Wisdom) were all getting banned across the format. These cards have long been aspirational staples of the format – all incredibly powerful but instant-includes in your deck if you had them. And with that came aspirational prices.

According to European-focused auctionhouse CardMarket, these bans have had an enormous impact on price. Yesterday, Mana Crypt would run you around €153 at the least. Now, that price is down to a one-day average of €47.69. Jewled Lotus ran a cool €109, and it’s now at a €21.59 one-day average. Meanwhile, Dockside Extortionist, which was running €79.99 at its lowest, is now selling for as low as €15. These prices continue to drop too.

Obviously, this is an enormous amount of lost value for many collectors. Prized pulls from recent sets are now plummeting in price, made especially annoying as WotC has recently featured Mana Crypt in Lost Caverns of Ixalan and Jeweled Lotus in Commander Masters as chase cards. (It’s important to note, the Commander Rules Committee is a separate entity to Wizards of the Coast and acts independently). For many shops who sell singles too, who have multiples of each of these cards – that’s a lot of lost value overnight. 

There is sound reasoning behind the bans

That said, these cards are undeniably, exceptionally powerful in the format. All of these are ‘fast mana’ that give you access to a lot more resources than your opponent, usually with minimal drawbacks or conditions. Getting a five cost commander out on turn two with a Jeweled Lotus, for example, is an enormous advantage in any game. 

These cards have warped the format for many years and can create a sense of ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ at any table. That divide can become especially uncomfortable when the only difference between players is those who can afford cards that can easily reach north of $100, even $200. From a gameplay perspective, it’s easy to understand the rules committee reasoning (which they explain in their ruling’s post.) That’s likely little comfort to those who saw these cards as a small investment though. 

The Commander Rules Committee has been criticized for painting too finely in recent years and not doing enough to shake up the format. This feels like a strong swing to try and break that illusion – and judging by the very mixed opinions on the decision out there, one that’s sure to be talked about for a long time.